Portuguese Abortion Vote.
international |
gender and sexuality |
opinion/analysis 
Monday February 12, 2007 10:38
by Chris murray
Parliamentary Majority will carry legislation according to Socrates.
The Socialist Leader Jose Socrates insists that abortion rights will
be legalised in Portugal after a large abstention in the electorate.
The Leader of Christian Democratic Party Riberio de Castro says
that the referendum is not legally binding,Of the % that voted the right
to legal abortion was carried. The Socialist Party must now use
their parliamentary majority to legalise abortion as they promised in the 2005
election.
The legalisation of abortion in Portugal will be within the first ten weeks
of pregnancy and at the request of the woman, the abortion will be
allowed only within registered clinics.
In comparison with Columbia, which had it's first legalised abortion in
2006- [the girl was eleven], the laws are quite conservative.
Constitutional changes made it the responsibility of the State to provide
free , safe and Legal abortions to Columbian women in all hospital
facilities - with an offered opt-out on the grounds of ethos on an individual
basis to the medical practioner.
Socrates has taken a step.
The creation of registered clinics makes them vulnerable to attack and is not
change at a state level, but creation of a private industry, which can be abused.
The ten week rule also leaves women quite vulnerable because some may not
know or be aware of the pregnancy until that point or in some cases
later.
The legislation for the legalising abortion in Portugal should be studied by
women's rights campaigners in order that what they voted for be
considered and understood as a basic human right and also the
responsibility of the State to provide that right to the women who
came out and voted for the Socialists in 2005.
Solidarity.
Comments (2 of 2)
Jump To Comment: 1 244% voted, which is not the legally binding 50%.
of the 44% who voted- 59% voted to amend laws.
Three years is what a woman faces in jail under present law in Portugal
for obtaining an abortion.
40,000 Portuguese women travel to obtain abortions p/a.
This is Mr Socrate's Mandate to alleiviate the suffering of women and
provide a safe and legal place for termination of a pregnancy- he should
really talk to the rights groups who are dealing with the issues of
women who lack funds to travel and the groups who support these
women- consultation on the issues would help formulate a legislation
which takes cognizance of all the factors which has lead to a situation
of criminalisation of women for obtaining abortion.
it is a sad day when a country decides to attack the most vulnerable members of its society, none can be more vulnerable than the unborn (over 46 million are aborted every year- even baby whales have it easier). just another example of a socialist state imposing its own morality on the voiceless. abortion is not a quick fix solution, there will be no reduction in the amount of women who will face crisis pregnancies- only more abortions. as usual it will be the poorest who will have to "choose" abortion- a type of genocide of the undesirables. during the so-called democratic process (whereby the govt. chose to ignore their own referendum for the sake of convenience, it would not have mattered if 2% of the electorate voted) the govt made reference to irelands "draconian" trackr record on abortion. it should be pointed out that ireland is consistently ranked within the top 5 countries in the world regards maternal healthcare and mortality rates by the WHO. the usual fallacy of medical abortions was thrown around by the socialists- completely contrary to empirical evidence from this country. ah well, the truth should not got in the way of socialist absolutism-only the voiceless will suffer anyway and they would only have created a further economic worry ...what price life?
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